One Calhoun HS Student Named National Merit Semifinalist

The semifinalists for the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program were announced on Wednesday, and one student from Calhoun High School made the cut.

About 16,000 high school students across the country were named semifinalists. Of those, less than half will wind up earning National Merit Scholarships. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to be named finalists, and about half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.

The semifinalists in Calhoun is Joy Ma.

About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2016 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of applicants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

To become a finalist, the semifinalists must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

Photo: Patch